We’re coming up pretty quick on turkey season. We have a flock that stays within a half mile radius of our home. There were only a few at first, maybe 10? The next year they grew about a dozen. The next year a dozen more. Well now we have just about 50 wild turkeys that hang about close to our house. There are more than a half dozen Toms in this flock. It’s quite the sight to see them all puffed out! Our neighbor said he was watching them one morning and there was one Tom that gobbled something and all the hens nearby (maybe 10), instantly lined up in a row and circled around him. Maybe it was some sort of protection call?
Where I had previously felt conflicted about hunting them (they’re kind of the neighborhood pride), they’re now starting to become a nuisance and overtaking where they shouldn’t.
This is where bowhunting comes in handy. If you’re lucky enough to have turkeys in your backyard, you can put good practice time in on 3d Turkey Targets. But if not, then here are some tips to win you a turkey.
Turkey Bowhunting Tips:
1. Scout out the area
Go out a day or two in advance so you’re not blindly walking out on opening day. Know where they roost. What their habits are. Follow them. Hunt them. Listen in the morning and night for their gobbling. This will help you determine if you’re in the best spot for your hunt.
2. Bad Weather
It happens. Turkeys will likely stay in their roosts longer when it rains. But use this to your advantage by staying in a well covered area from the rain. Where you’ve already stalked them and know where they are, you can take cover and wait for them to come out.
3. Don’t worry about your calling
Try your hand at making a hen yelp— any reasonable imitation will do. Where you could always make the fancy sounds, cackles, purrs, and clucks— it will likely be enough to get a gobbler to go and look in on what he thinks is a hen. If the gobbler does come in “inspect” on the hen-in-distress, he may answer with a few yelps. Yelp back at him one more time. Then hush and get your bow ready. This might just do the trick!
4. Use decoys
The land coverage, either thick or sparse, will determine how many decoys you’ll want to use for the hunt. Some say it’s better to use several hens and throw in a Jake. Some are bold enough to use a Tom to mingle in with the other 3d. Gobblers want to know they’ll be rewarded with responding to a hen’s call… Treat them. If, however, visibility is low due to thick cover, then using the less-is-more mindset is best.
5. Know the anatomy
Even all puffed out, Toms have very little to shoot at in terms of vitals. Take your 3d Turkey Target and map out the vital shots, then practice hitting those parts from different angles. With larger game we all know we need more penetration. So we come prepared to pull heavier bows, heavier arrows, broad heads, etc. But might we suggest a simpler solution? Slip on a BAD BOYS 100 gr sleeve to the front of your arrow shaft. With only 100 grains added, your turkey won’t know what hit him! And you won’t have to run around (like a chicken with your head off) trying to find the rogue turkey. The Bad Boys makes it a quick and clean kill.
